Tumbleweeds by Leila Meacham is one part romance, one part saga and one part character study, but in all parts a ripping good read. Cathy Benson is orphaned while living in California, and sent to live with her grandmother in Kersey, Texas. There she is befriended by John Caldwell and Trey Don Hall, two boys who also have absent parents. They become her protectors. In high school, the boys become the stars of the Kersey football team and seem destined for greater things. Kathy shows a knack for science and medicine and throws herself into her studies. Both boys are deeply in love with Kathy, but it’s Trey who makes the first move, and he and Kathy become high school sweethearts. A secret between John and Trey threatens their futures and their friendship, and an unexpected event changes the lives of the three friends forever. The novel follows the threesome through high school, college and careers, and ultimately their return to town at age forty for a reunion.

Meacham creates three sympathetic characters, and the reader is privy to information that each character knows but seems unwilling to share with the other two. This builds suspense as the reader waits for the secrets to be revealed. There is enough information and character development to strengthen the motivations of the characters, and each decision stays within believability. Readers will enjoy getting to know the three friends, spend time with them, and care what will happen to them in the future. Tumbleweeds is a wonderful look into a world of small town dreams, friendship, love, and growing older. Meacham’s previous novel, Roses was also a reader favorite, and she is a writer to keep on any must read list.